Fastening device



July 19, 1949. VON E 2,476,339

- FASTENING DEVICE Original Filed Feb. 20, 1942 vZi g- 5 .5/I/6/J .9

Patented July 19, 1949 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FASTENING DEV CE Eritz von Opel, Alg ers, La., vested in the Attorney General of the united States Serial No. 584,599

8 Claims.

This invention relates to fastenings, in par.- ticular removable fastenings to join :two or more objects which are substantially gflat at the joint, such as plates or sheets of metal, laminated material, and the like, throush substantially registering holes in them. This application is a division of Pa en Number 2,373,722.

In particular the invention relates to removable fastenings for connecting a cover of any suitable shape with another object, such as a cowling with the edge of a man hole or filling-in orifice of another hollow .body, such as apart of a wing or fuselage of an aircraft or'the body of a vehicle.

More specifically .the invention is concerned with removable fastenings'for joining in a lapjoint two or more flat objects, such as plates or sheets of metal, laminated plastic material, and the like, which are accessible only from one side.

t is an object of the invention to simplify the manufacture of the elements and their mounting used for fastenings of this type. It is another object of the invention to use shapes for the elements of the fastening "which can be easily produced in inexpensive mass production and mounted in holes of regular shape.

It is a further object of the invention to use in fastenings of this type an intermediary member comprising a springy portion engaged by the fastener proper, which can be easily manufactured in mass production and equally easily mounted in a hole of the object .to be joined to another one.

It is still a further object of the invention to use a member in fastenings of the type herein concerned which is spring at least at the place Where the fastener proper engages it, and countersunk or dished, so that the enga in parts of the:

fastener proper do not, or at least not consider! ably project beyond the outer surface of the member or of the object in which the member is mounted.

These and other objects of the invention will be more clearly understood when the specification proceeds with reference to the drawing.

In the drawing;

Fig. .1 is a top plan view of the improved fas tener connecting two plates, a portion of .the'head of the fastener being broken away.

Fig. 2 is a vertical section .on the line ZH-Z of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a vertical section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a horizontal section on the line 44 of Fig. 2.

As shown in the drawing the improved fastener connects two plates! and {i which have holes .3 and .4, respectiveiy preferably of equal diameter. Aimember 5 is mounted-inane hole 3, in any suit.- able manner as by a drive fit. The center portion 6 of the member 5 has a countersunk part I hav ins a hole 8 and slots :8 extendin from opposite sides of the :hole 8. A member 9 is mounted in the hole .4, in a similar manner, and has a springy center portion 10 having a hole :H and slots 12 extendin from opposite sides of the hole ii. The fastener has .a sunk .head I 3 fitting into the countersunk part and ashank 14 provided with intesralstuds .15 protecting outwardly on opp sides of the shank 14. The head 13 has a suitable .ker-f i 6 :in its upper face.

From the foregoing description of the details of construction of the device, its use and operation will be obvious. The members 5 and .9 are fitted into the 110195 :3 and 4 of the plates 1 and .2, in such a way that when the plates 1 .and 2 are brought together so that the holes 8 and l register the slots .8 and t2 register. When the plates 1| and 2 are to be fastened together, the fastener is applied so that the studs [5 are passed through the slots ,8 and I2, the shank 14 passing through the holes '8 and 1 l of the members 5 and 9 respectively. 'Then the fastener is rotated by means of a suitable tool inserted into the kerf l6 of the head 13. Rotation through in either direction, proves .the studs I15 from alignment with the slots '8" and 12, into the positions shown in the drawing, in which the studs 15 bear against the springy portion ill of the member 9, the head 13 bearing on portion I of the member 5, thereby fastening or clamping the plates l and 2 together.

What is claimed is:

1. A fastening for joining two objects, such as plates or sheets, provided with holes which are aligned when the bodies are joined, substantially comprising a fastener essentially consisting of a head, shank and projections near the free end of said shank and extending from opposite sides thereof, and a pair of members, each provided with a hole and slots communicating therewith and extending from opposite sides to permit said shank and projections to pass therethrough, said members -being mounted in .the said holes of the objects to be joined, respectively, so that when said fastener is passed with its shank and projections through the holes and slots in said members, and is turned through an angle, it clamps said members together between said projections and said head.

2. A fastening for joining two objects, such as plates or sheets, provided with holes which are aligned when the bodies are joined, substantially comprising a fastener essentially consisting of a head, shank and projections near the free end of said shank and extending from opposite sides thereof, and a pair of members, each provided with a hole and slots communicating therewith and extending from opposite sides, to permit said shank and projections to pass therethrough, said members being mounted in the said holes of the objects to be joined, respectively, and one of said members having a springy center portion, so that when said fastener is passed with its shank and projections through the holes and slots in said members, and is turned through an angle, it clamps said objects together between said projections, and the said head, and the grip of said fastener between the adjacent surface portions of its projections and its head being such that resilient reactions are caused in the springy portion of one of said members in said clamping position of the fastener.

3. A fastening for joining two objects, such as plates or sheets, provided with holes which are aligned when the bodies are joined, substantially comprising a fastener essentially consisting of a head, shank and projections near the free end of said shank and extending from opposite sides thereof, a unitary disk-like member having a center portion provided with a hole and slots communicating therewith and extending from opposite sides to permit said shank and projections to pass therethrough, said member mounted in one of said holes in the objects to be joined, and a second unitary disk-like member having a center portion provided with a hole and slots communicating therewith and extending from opposite sides to permit said shank and projections to pass therethrough, said second member mounted in the other hole in the objects to be joined, so that when said fastener is passed with its shank and projections through the holes and slots in the said members, and is turned through an angle, it clamps said objects together between said projections and said head.

4. A fastening for joining two objects, such as plates or sheets, provided with holes which are aligned when the bodies are joined, substantially comprising a fastener essentially consisting of a head, shank and projections near the free end of said shank and extending from opposite sides thereof, a unitary disk-like member having a springy center portion provided with a hole and slots communicating therewith and extending from opposite sides to permit said shank and projections to pass therethrough, said member mounted in one of said holes in the objects to be joined, and a second unitary disk-like member having a center portion provided with a hole and slots communicating therewith and extending from opposite sides to permit said shank and projections to pass therethrough, said second member mounted in the other hole in the objects to be joined, so that when said fastener is passed with its shank and projections through the holes and slots in the said members, and is turned through an angle, it clamps said objects together between said projections and said head, and the grip of said fastener defined by the adjacent surface portions of its projections and its head is such that resilient reactions are caused in the springy center portion and each of said disks provided with a hole axially alined with a second hole in the other disk, each hole having a slot extending radially therefrom; and a fastener comprising a head, a shank integral with said head,

7 and a radially extending projection on said shank,

the distance between the proximate surfaces of said projection and said head being slightly less than the distance between the opposite non-contacting faces of said disks, said holes and slots permitting said shank and projection to pass therethrough so that when said fastener is passed with its shank and projection through the holes and slots in said disks and is turned, the said head and projection exert pressure respectively on the outer non-contacting faces of the spaced disks to clamp the bodies.

6. A fastening device according to claim 5 wherein said disks are provided with countersunk portions surrounding the respective holes, said countersunk portions extending respectively into said body openings.

'7. A fastening device for joining two bodies in face to face contact such as plates or sheets provided with alined openings when the bodies are joined, comprising a first springy disk, a second disk, each of said disks provided with a hole having slots extending radially therefrom; means on the first disk for anchoring the disk into the open-- ing in one of said bodies; flange means on the second disk and extending into the opening in the other body from the non-contacting face of the latter toward the first disk, said flange means cooperating with said contacting bodies to maintain the pair of disks in spaced relation one with another; and a fastener comprising a head, a shank integral with said head, and projections near the smaller end of, and extending radially from said shank, said holes and slots permitting said shank and projections to pass therethrough, so that when said fastener is passed with its shank and projections through the holes and slots in said disks and is turned, the said head and projections exert pressure respectively on the spaced disks to clamp the bodies.

8. A fastening device according to claim 7 wherein said disks are provided with countersunk portions surrounding the respective holes, said countersunk portions extending respectively into said body openings.

FRITZ VON OPEL.

REFERENCES CITED 'The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 245,320 Rowe Aug. 9, 1881 373,860 Steffey Nov. 29, 1887 1,857,530 Dandridge et al May 10, 1932 

